For the last year, my body has doggedly clung to ten pounds of baby weight. I could blame it on nursing, but more likely it was caused by the stress induced eating habits and lack of exercise. Now that it’s summer and I’m officially a SAHM, I have the time to make some major shifts toward a healthier lifestyle. This week’s posts are dedicated to the pursuit of green, budget weight loss!

Eat whole foods.

Isn’t this totally obvious? Maybe, but I seem to have to relearn this tip when life becomes hectic. Food processing requires energy, packaging, and preservatives—adding a huge carbon load and calorie count to our meals and making our grocery bills far more expensive. If we stick to foods fresh from our gardens, farmer’s markets or the produce aisle, we can slim down our bodies and our budgets.